Cranes & Clouds
by MizuJakkaru
Summary: A retelling of the series from Keith and Ivan's eyes. Will Keith ever realize that Ivan has considered Keith more than just an ordinary role model? Given that Keith's an air-head, Ivan might just have to grow some confidence for that to happen.
1. As You Like It

**Author's Note:** My first submission to this site, appropriately, is a story focusing on Tiger & Bunny. This parallels' the show, but focuses heavily on Keith (Sky High) and Ivan (Origami Cyclone). It will eventually take a lot of liberties and add a ton of extra scenes, given that the characters don't appear often in some of the episodes, and is told from their POV. Each chapter, I intend to switch who the chapter focuses on. I'm going to stick the rating at a tentative T for now, but it might go up in later chapters. This first chapter is a little slow to start because I felt like not taking knowledge for granted and I wanted to develop the setting a bit. That and the first episode is very heavy in content. This will eventually become Keith x Ivan, because that pairing is my crack. So, without further ado, enjoy.

**Pairing:** Keith x Ivan

**Disclaimer:** I own the words, not the boys and girls. (As much as I wish I did...)

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><p>"<em>Hope is a waking dream.<em>" - William Shakespeare

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><p>Sternbild City.<p>

A roaring metropolis of activity. People could live, grow and die within the confines of the monster of a city, having no need to leave the amenities of the megaplex; they would never want for anything further than a train or monorail trip across the city... They could live out their lives within the confines of the beast, be they members of Bronze, Silver or even the illustrious Gold society. Often times its citizens could forget a world of rolling hills and country existed outside the steel and traffic of Sternbild. It was well known that Sternbild held the heart and soul of her citizens, that those who lived there fell in love with the twisting streets, the alleys that held secrets of mom and pop shops, the grandiose museums and monuments. Visitors and tourists most often made mention of how alien Sternbild felt to them in comparison to other cities. In fact, one news reporter had said the closest he could get to describing Sternbild was to: "Take Tokyo and New York, drop them in a box, give that box to a tantrum-ridden three-year old and allow the kid to shake it up to all of hell in a hand basket. Then, of course, let the world's most affluent, famous architects and city-drafters take the pieces and put it back together again into the most spectacular display of city planning and synergy known to man."

It is known, perhaps, as the most prominent and influential city of the world.

The metropolis of a city is known across the world as a center of commerce and the forefront of culture and technology. It is home to some of the most famous celebrities and world-powers around. It is also a home to some twenty-two million civilian people. However, these people, who live out their lives in relative semblance of preserved safety, are not the end of Sternbild's masses. Some of these people are the NEXT, a genetic mutation of humans who exhibit what people have come to know as superhuman powers, varying from telekinetic to elemental and from useful to mundane. While Sternbild is, of course, not home to the only NEXT in the world, and the mutation of humans with super powers is a world-wide phenomenon, it is home to some of the most varied in power and fame... And with all strength and fame, some use these blessings for good, while others will, inevitably, use them for evil.

So, while Sternbild may be known as one of the most important cities in the modern world, it is not without the plague that ails most cities of its size: crime. And, where there is crime, there will be, without a shadow of a doubt, heroes who fight crime. Those people that would fight for justice, the good of the citizens of Sternbild, the defense of the city's own honor. They are the NEXT that took their power that some feared and used it for the betterment of society. While NEXT are only a few generations old, they are the fame and fortune of Sternbild, thanks in no small part to the funding and emergence of HeroTV. A show focusing on the crimes of Sternbild's villains and the endeavors of the heroes to stop them, one could hazard saying that HeroTV draws not only potentials heroes to Sternbild... but also those villains seeking for a bit of fame for their dastardly deeds. With that being said, Sternbild is most commonly associated with the villains that plague her and the heroes that save her.

But, under the core of it all, heroes are ordinary people. They live their day to day lives behind the mask of a normal life. They are among Sternbild's citizens at this very moment, acting as the ordinary... until the receive the call that crime has struck. A call that can come at any time.

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><p>He sighed in content, sweeping his blonde hair back from blue eyes. A token smile familiar to his comrades graced his lips. It was good to run, to feel the heat and punishment of exercise course through his body. To feel the complaint of his legs and lungs as they strained with the workout. How many miles had it been? He glanced at the treadmill's tracker. Seven thus far? Not bad for a start. He flexed his muscles, feeling them pull taught as his feet continued to pound down upon the tread in a steady pace. Could he top out a ten, maybe? Or should he push it further today? Sometimes he did that. It would really depend on if the heroes received a call. If they did, he would have to cut the work out short. Not that he minded. A call was more or less a work out in the first place! The man smiled at the thought. There was a way of thinking about it! Catching robbers, kidnappers and thieves... it was all just a work out! He laughed aloud at the joke.<p>

Reaching forward, he grasped the plastic water bottle and brought it to his lips, taking a deep gulp of the water within. The crisp chill of it burned his throat and hit his stomach like a bomb, but he ignored it. A few moments, then the chill passed, and his body thanked him for the life-giving and relief-imbuing liquid. He set the bottle back into its holder, its surface slick with condensation. Wiping his hand on his sweat-soaked shirt, he put himself in the mind set for finishing up another couple laps. Where there was a will, there was a way. All one had to do was believe in themselves and be believes in by others.

It was surprising how fast time could pass while one wasn't paying attention. Not just when working out, he thought, but also actual weeks and months. This season of crime had gone by much faster than he had expected! For one, it felt like only yesterday that the season had begun. He remembered when it had. Not only had it been when the newest of Hero Academy's graduates joined the season, a hero's who's alias was Origami Cyclone, but their first arrest had been busting a smuggling heist wide open. The blonde could remember the anger he had felt as he learned of the goods being trafficked: humans. He frowned and shook his head. It was a good thing the season was coming to a close on a high note for him.

He grinned. A high note indeed. It was pretty much in the basket! It didn't even feel like today of all days should be when HeroTV announced the MVP of the season, and he was definitely the most likely of candidates. The announcement was today. He secretly couldn't wait. He wanted more than anything to see the results. He had everyone else to thank for his success. Without everyone else, he wouldn't be where he was right now. ...Well. Figuratively, mostly, he guessed. Although, also psychically too, in a way, he mused... because if he hadn't been contracted as a hero he wouldn't have been in Justice Tower running on a treadmill meant for the heroes. That was a though. He owed not only his occupation but his location to the entire city of Sternbild!

As his thoughts continued to wander, as was quite typical for him, he got a call. Blinking once, twice for good measure, he glanced first to his wrist. He stared blankly at the PDA on his wrist and was puzzled by its... inactivity. Oh. No, not that kind of call. The PDA wasn't glowing blue like it would have been had they received a call to act upon their duties as heroes. Instead, he looked up to where his cell phone was ringing and vibrating in the spare cup-holder. A shame. It would have been very interesting if they got a call tonight, on the last night of the season.

Nevertheless, he grabbed his phone and checked the screen. "Poseidon Line" glowed back in way of greeting, a trident icon underneath the text. Stepping off the treadmill, he answered the call. "Hello? Hello?"

"Sky High!" the familiar sound of his one of his sponsor's secretaries spoke, "I realize you're probably working out or busy, but if you'd like to come over to Poseidon Line's HQ, the chairman would appreciate it. He wants to congratulate you on a good season!"

Keith Goodman smiled, despite knowing that the woman on the other end couldn't see his grin. "Certainly! Though I should truly thank him, as without him I wouldn't have been possible." He shouldered the phone, turning off the treadmill as he spoke. Grasping a plain towel, he used it to mop up the perspiration soaking his hair and skin, then he slung it over his shoulders.

His sponsor's aide chimed once more, "yes, yes. But you've already thanked him, you should give him a chance to thank you!"

Toweling down his hair once more, Keith nodded, again despite the inability of the other to see him. It was something of a habit; he had trouble conveying himself sometimes, which typically meant he would repeat things he said or make gestures to key to his meaning. He did it subconsciously, of course, hardly even aware sometimes that it happened, much to other people's amusement. On top if it all, he was pretty scatter-brained and air-headed, so that wasn't saying much. Often times he became baffled as other took amusement in the simple things he did, such as his over dramatic gestures.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, of course."

With another few words exchanged between them, he hung up the phone and headed for the showers. Justice Tower had anything and everything the heroes might need for their career. Workout rooms, a commons and a shower were obviously the most used facilities, but there was also a room where they could order medical needs or watch and review past footage broadcast by HeroTV. At the top of the tower were other facilities, typically used by the sponsors and heroes during social events and gatherings. Still, none of all that mattered to Keith, the only room he cared about right now was the shower.

Slipping into the community bathroom, he found a vacant shower stall. Keith twisted the faucet to a mild chill. Not cold enough to bite, but not very hot at all either. Something about the burn from his run excited him, and he wanted to preserve that feeling for as long as he could. As water ran down his body in rivulets, he lathered a sponge and gave himself a quick, utilitarian scrub down. He didn't lavish the cleanliness, as he saw no need at the moment. Though he knew it was his sponsor, he allowed himself only as long as needed in the shower. For one, he intended to wear his hero suit. For another, if they did receive a call, he didn't see the need when he'd likely work up a sweat once more. He could always soak it out in a longer bath or shower later.

Stepping out from the water when he finished, he fashioning a towel around himself. Keith raked his hair out of his eyes and gave himself a quick blow-dry with his own NEXT abilities. Whipping the air around him in a fashion akin to a drive through car wash, he shook his head. The result was his hair falling down in a fluffy mess and a very dry body. Grinning at the trick, amused with its success for no particular reason other than to be amused, he walked out of the shower and to where the men's lockers were. He found his own and fell into the practiced habit of fastening the various clasps and zippers of his outfit. A long time ago, someone had told him that his choice of outfit was very... "retro"? Was that the word they had used? It was more akin to something that the heroes of the previous generation had used. Keith wasn't entirely sure if that was true, but he liked the feel and appearance of his costume.

Keith clasped on the final implement, the jetpack on the back that was powered by its own accord and his own abilities in unison. Reaching into his locker, he removed his helmet. He tucked the silver helmet under his arm and closed up the locker. He gave his hair another nonchalant pat down to get it more or less under wraps, just enough so that when he put his helmet on he wouldn't be completely blinded by a mass of soft blonde hair. He then made his way for a balcony, fully intent on flying to Poseidon Line HQ.

The way there, of course, lead him back through one of the workout rooms. Here, he paused and blinked abruptly. A form of another person stood hunched over, hands on his knees and panting for breath. The other man's body trembled from exertion and droplets of sweat fell from his brow, hitting the floor with a faint patter. The other man looked utterly exhausted. Wait... Was "man" really the right word?, Keith wondered as he stepped forward. Surely he was closer to a boy, still. Though that wasn't entirely fair, as the other hero wasn't... exactly the youngest of their group. He was the newest, though. Even Dragon Kid had been around for a month or two longer than him. Still in wonderment at the proper term to call the other hero, he placed a gentle hand on his comrade's back.

The result was utter catastrophe.

The boy flinched at the touch and over compensated his pull back, jerking away and taking a painful fall to the floor where he landed hard on his ass. The towel that had previously rested upon the boy's shoulders dropped away, falling in a heap. Keith caught himself staring at the slender collar and neck revealed in turn. How was this kid capable of some of the feats he had seen him perform? He was literally half Keith's size! Turning his thoughts away from that, Keith winced as the boy grimaced in pain on the floor. Poor kid, he hadn't meant to scare him so bad. Keith offered a hand to the younger hero and gave the younger hero a token grin, albeit an apologetic one.

"I'm sorry, Origami! I didn't mean to startle you. I'm sorry!"

Ivan looked up. He still wasn't used to people calling him Origami or Origami Cyclone when he wasn't in suit. It had been a year, this whole season in fact, that he had been a hero now. And still he wasn't used to it? He really should be, oughtn't he? Even his sponsors called him Origami Cyclone. In fact... now that he thought about it... he wasn't sure half the people who knew both his hero identity and his real one actually called him by his name... With a sigh at the though, he grasped the hand offered to him and pulled himself to his feet with Keith's support. He gave another grimace. Damn. That was probably going to hurt all night. His tail bone smarted just right _there_.

Shaking his head, he looked up to the other hero, who was a good number of inches taller than him. "A-ah... I'll be okay. I was just... I saw you running earlier, so I tried to... keep up, I guess."

Keith blinked, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. He hadn't even realized that Ivan had entered the room, let along begun running himself. He glanced aside. ...In the adjacent treadmill, no less!

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you earlier, Origami!"

A frown was all Ivan could manage at the words. "It's okay..."

Keith opened his mouth to say something more, but then it happened. A beep that both Keith and Ivan were familiar with. The PDAs on their wrists glowed a bright blue and, in a gesture that was automatic, they held the wrist bands up at chest level so the holo-screen would project where they could see it.

The familiar form of Agnes Joubert, the producer of HeroTV, appeared before them. Her dirty blond hair framed her face as she smiled, no doubt foreseeing the ratings of this, the last episode of the season being, ahem, sky high. "Bonjour, heroes," she began, "make all necessary preparations, we have a situation tonight."

Keith frowned and the holo-screen faded out as the transmission was cut after that rather short comment. Then he looked to Ivan, his smile renewed in an instant. Keith Goodman was never one to stay upset for long. "Well. We have work to do, Origami! I'm sure you'll do as well tonight as you always have!"

With that, Keith turned, his blond hair swishing as he lifted his helmet and brought it down over his head. With a click, the metal visor fit into place, clasping to the rest of his suit. The reassuring glow of readouts and maps lit up in front of Keith's eyes. Here was a map of Sternbild. There was a read about his suit's integrity and his body as a whole. Ignoring them, Keith focused his gaze on the other hero once more. He gave Ivan a salute and hurried off, eager to see the night through for justice's sake and the sake of his sponsors.

"Good luck, and again, good luck!"

Ivan looked down, studying his feet. The younger hero shook his head, his eyes shielded by a veil of white blonde hair. The frown on his lips worsened. He headed off to suit up himself. And then, there was the barest whisper, "I don't do well at all..."

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><p>Keith Goodman, or as most of the citizens of Sternbild knew him as, Sky High, soared out into the open air of the city. His helmet read glowed blue and he glanced to it. The map showed the location of the culprits of the latest crime of the day. Those glowed red. Other various yellow dots showed him the location of the local police. One of the yellow dots blinked, a signal that the policeman or crew in question had been decommissioned, and then faded to a grayed-out version of its former color. Air whipping his uniform around him, Keith adjusted his course and headed straight for the bridge that the villains were likely going to make their get away on. Just as he was turning, a familiar voice radioed in.<p>

"Bonjour again, heroes." Agnes appeared in a small screen to the side of Keith's others, her smile and voluptuous body a familiar vision. "The culprits today are a group of bank robbers. They're headed to south Silver. Be informed, they've stolen an armored truck. Also know, we're cutting to commercial in five minutes."

Keith glanced again to his read out and continued to soar onwards. Meanwhile, the broadcast of HeroTV fed into his helmet, keying him into the appearance of four of the other heroes and the capture of two of the three culprits. A glance to his screen hold them there was sufficient police support for the heroes to handle it. He soared over them, giving his key salute to the four below. A nod from Rock Bison and Fire Emblem told him that they had the situation handled. The burly hero in green was already helping clear the cars out of the road while Fire Emblem and Dragon Kid handled crowd control and other clean up.

Origami Cyclone looked up to him and pointed ahead to the railways in the distance desperately, keying the airborne hero as to where the third culprit had vanished to.

Giving a salute to the ninja-themed hero, the King of Heroes flew onward, his eyes glowing within his helmet as his NEXT power gave him an extra burst of speed. He had to get up there, he thought with a frown. Even if the scores today showed he hardly needed to care about his ranking, any camera time was a benefit to his sponsors, and, more importantly, there might be citizens in need! For the good of his sponsors and for the good of Sternbild, he, Sky High, would capture the last of the villains!

He crested from Bronze tier to Silver tier, pausing and breaking in midair to look back and forth for the robber. It might seem strange to a foreigner to Sternbild, but the infrastructure of Sternbild allowed for people to move with relative ease to any of the tiers within a block or two's distance. For this reason, villains were sometimes hard to track down and sometimes had a very easy time getting around the place. Also for that reason, it was easy to lose _track_ of people that weren't trying to stand out...

Keith looked up and ran his gaze down the length of the block he was on... as the HeroTV broadcaster announced, "oh no! It appears as if the escaped villain has hijacked a Silver tier monorail!"

He looked up instantly, following the tracks of the monorail and spotting not only the vehicle that was beginning to speed down the tracks... but further along? The blue-clad figure of Wild Tiger. As he soared towards the monorail, wondering how best to enter and detain the robber, Agnes's voice radioed in, directed to Tiger, but for all to hear.

"Tiger, can you hear me? Wait for the commercial break, then get started!"

"Huh? I can't wait for a commercial at a time like this!" The man answered back in frustration.

"Wait! It will be more exciting this way!"

"We heroes only care about keeping the peace!"

Keith rocketed into view just as Wild Tiger activated his Hundred Power and released his Wild Roar, ripping the monorail track up with his bare hands and heaving the metal around, tying the railing into a massive knot. The monorail's cab drew to a screeching halt. Whatever momentum might have been left was shaken out of it as it rammed into the twisted heap of metal that Wild Tiger had made of the rail. Keith hated to think of the damage costs that would accrue after the fact. Poor Tiger. Sometimes the other hero didn't stop to think about things like that... nor did Tiger often stop to think about the fact that, well, villains rarely ever stayed in one place for long. Again, chalk it up to Sternbild's extravagant infrastructure.

The blonde peaked over the decommissioned monorail as the final culprit leapt from his monorail high-point to a passing blimp. Behind him, he could hear the grumbling of the other hero. From his headset, he could hear the HeroTV announcer laud praise onto Sky High himself and he lifted his hand in an appropriate salute to the very citizens of Sternbild. Without them, he could never have been possible! Turning his attention back ahead of him, he could just see the glass dome of the bridge of the blimp, and that was certainly his focus at the moment. Kicking up some extra speed, he came level with it. The man within, the final desperate thief, held a gun to the pilots of the dirigible. Who, ironically, was an employee of Keith's very own sponsor company.

"Don't try to stop me!"

Keith gestured dramatically to the villain. "Don't try to stop _me_!" he parroted the man. Repetition again. He was just trying to get his point across, after all...

It apparently only seemed to annoy the robber. He turned with a scowl that only caused Keith to smile in his helmet. Then the robber grasped his rocket cannon, aiming the missile at Keith, not even caring that there was glass between them.

"Don't copy me!"

With an explosion and a shower of glass, the missile tore its course through the air, leaving a plume of white smoke in its wake. It moved faster than Sky High was capable of flying, as he well knew, but the device was neither swift enough nor agile enough that he couldn't dodge it. He soared away from the window, twirling in midair and crossing his arms over his chest. As he reached the bottom of his dropping arch, he killed his speed in a hook-like maneuver, dipping under the arc of the missile itself. He spared it a stray glance to assure himself that it had instead altered course and peaked over the blimp. The middle shot over the dirigible, disappearing. Moments later, there was an explosion that rattled the very frame of the blimp.

The missile no longer a concern, Keith reactivated his powers. The blonde hero turns his attention back skywards. The blimp was beginning to flounder. It seemed as though the missile had damaged its structure. With the robber no where insight, something else took Keith's attention. Two forms of the pilots stumbled and plummeted downwards towards the unforgiving concrete of Silver tier. Soaring upwards to catch up with the falling forms of the two blimp pilots, Keith sent a flute of wind upwards to cushion them in midair. Formed like miniature tornadoes, the currents of wind caught them. Keith soared up to pose behind them and salute to the cameras, giving his sponsors just the right edge they needed on the camera for advertisement. He smiled as the announcer boomed out.

"He truly is the King of Heroes!"

As his cushion of air began to dwindle, he reached out, taking hold of the upper arms of each person. Funneling the remainder of air under them to lighten his load, he saw them safely to the ground. Above, he glanced up to where the blimp was soaring out of control. Normally, he would have soared onward to assist, but a flash of blue ice told him there was no longer a need. Blue Rose would handle the rest, he was sure.

Setting down on the cement of the road below, the two pilots each let out a shaky breath. He smiled widely, though they couldn't see through the helmet, his body and countenance seemed to suggest it, and they offered shaky smiles in return.

"Thank you, Sky High!"

"Thank you!"

He saluted them and saw them to where a medical team was waiting. "No need to thank me! All in the day of a hero! Again, no need."

He patted them men on their shoulders as a group of paramedics began to tend to the injuries they had attained from their fall through a jagged window of terror. Keith turned his attention to the end of the street he was on. Giving a final gesture to the paramedics and civilians, he kicked off from the ground and soared ahead. The street came to an end and he could see below to Bronze tier's south port, where the blimp was dropping towards a passenger ship. People let out cries of terror from both ends; the villain on the blimp and the people on the ship both feared the crash.

Keith lifted his hand and readied a funnel of wind in hopes that sending it from and angle would redirect the deflating blimp, but he paused mid-action. Ice creeped across the water of the pier at lightning speed and literally reached up to grasp the blimp in the form of a giant fist. Snow began to flutter down from the sky at the sudden chill in the air. Grinning with admiration, Keith searched the pier's area for Blue Rose. She stood atop a platform of ice, She pointed her pistols dramatically. Keith crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

"My ice may be a little bit cold... but your crime has been put completely on hold!"

With a chuckle to himself, Sky High killed his powers slowly. He dropped through the atmosphere towards the ship. It was almost by second nature that he defaulted to helping the citizens on the ship. After all, ice was deadly to fatal if someone fell on those spires that had clustered at the base of the ship. He landed on the deck as Agnes sent him an order to help assist the evacuation and rescue of the citizens on board. Explaining his plan to the crowd that was slowly forming around him on the ship's foredeck, he gestured to two young boys. Grasping them around the waist as they stepped forward, he lifted them up into the air.

Carefully, he carried them across the dangerous ice that Blue Rose had made of the pier's coast. He had barely carried a second set of civilians over before he heard something most curious in his head set. While he had heard the grumbling of Tiger and the snap of gunfire and the cries of Blue Rose, he had paid _those_ little concern. He had absolute faith in his fellow heroes. They would do their best. Besides, Blue Rose's Cutie Escape was part of her advertisement with her sponsors. But that was not what had caused his attention on rescuing the citizens to waver. Rather, the HeroTV broadcaster yelled in confusion.

"It's! ...Uh... Who is he?"

Keith watched in admiration as the strange person apprehended the culprit. Well, this was certainly a new development! A new hero on the block! He should his head and went back to helping the civilians evacuate the ship. The process would go much smoother now that the officials of Sternbild were beginning to arrive to assist in the job. Keith listened only mildly as Agnes began to wrap up the main portion of the show.

Privately, Agnes radioed to the heroes: "The award ceremony will begin in thirty minutes, following Blue Rose's vocal."

Taking that into account, Keith oversaw the rescue for a moment more or so before he left the remainder up to the people in charge. He took to the air, his coat whipping around him as he soared off towards the stage.

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><p>Lights shone down on them from above. They stood in a line, and though Wild Tiger had been a tad late, they were the face of Sternbild. Her heroes and saviors. Keith watched avidly as the screen displayed a grand total of all of their point earnings for the season. A crowd before them bustled back and forth as the announcer raised his voice to the Sky and cheering broke out at his cry of:<p>

"With 12,730 points... the King of Heroes is... Sky High!"

Keith felt adrenaline course through his body, causing his skin to tingle in excitement. It was such an achievement. He didn't like to boast in the very least, but it would not be fair to not allow himself to be proud of his accomplishments. He stepped forward as the limelight focused on him.

He cleared his through and said, "Congratulations!" He then paused. _Wait_. Wrong thing to say. That's okay. Keep going! "I couldn't have done this without everyone's help!" There we go, that sounded better. "My sponsors and you citizens of Sternbild! Thank you, and thank you again!"

He stretched his arms out to them, gesturing dramatically, as was his habit. cheering and cries broke across the stadium. Fireworks shot up into the air behind the stage. Metallic confetti was ejected from canons and began to flutter down from the air. Had he not been in front of tens of thousands of people, and even more TVs, Keith might have leapt into the air for sheer joy. He was so pleased and utterly happy with the outcome. Though his sponsors hat been telling him it was bound to happen, he hadn't been willing to jinx it. And he hadn't been willing to be excited about it until the MVP was actually announced.

"Next," the announcer stated, "a message from Albert Maverick."

He glanced to the screen, however, at the mention of Mr. Albert Maverick. The Apollon CEO stepped forward and began his usual end-of-season talk with something different this year.

"Before that, there is someone I'd like to introduce."

Keith looked ahead to where a blonde man was walking out onto stage. Maverick began to explain how this man was Barnaby Brooks Jr., the newest hero to join the line up for next season. Keith tilted his head to the left and glanced down the row to where Origami Cyclone was. Looked like he would no longer the newest hero. He turned his attention half way back to Maverick as he continued to explain NEXT, their emergence and powers.

He only half listened, still buzzing from the excitement of winning the MVP, and half paying attention to the form of the younger hero he had glanced to moments before. Was... was he okay? When you wore a suit as long as Keith had, you got the the point where you could read the emotions of others, even behind the mast. And, as it were, Origami Cyclone didn't look entirely pleased with the outcome of tonight. Maybe he had gotten hurt during the endeavors with the robbers?

The King of Heroes frowned. He supposed he would ask when they reached the banquet.

After all, it would be only a short time from now...

* * *

><p>The heroes joined their sponsors and the other big wigs of Sternbild later that evening at a banquet in celebration of a season well done and culprits put away. Granted, because most of the people there were regular civilians from opposing companies and sponsors, all the heroes kept their suits and disguises on. The firs thing that happened when Keith exited the elevator into the banquet hall was get bombarded by admirers and the few official reporters that had been invited to the evening's festivities.<p>

He adjusted his tie and chuckled. "Thank you, and again, thank you! I couldn't have done it without you."

As soon as he was able to get away from the crowds, he went and helped himself to some of the food on the tables. Eating was a hassle and involved cheeking away from the crowds and lifting his helmet strategically, but when one had been a hero for as long as he had been Sky High, they had such a feat down. The food itself was exquisite and he ate his fill. Which, given his work out then the call to action, was considerable. He hadn't realized the size of his appetite until he was in view of all the finery.

Stomach stated, he glanced around, first left, then right. Finally he laid eyes on the kabuki-style mask of Origami Cyclone. Headed over that way, he greeted his fellow hero with a raised hand.

"Good job today!"

Ivan started, turning to Keith in confusion. "Thank you..."

Keith frowned, his body shifting visibly into one of disappointment. "Are you okay?"

The younger man turned to glance away. "I just have to do better this next season. My sponsors are pleased, but they think I could do more."

At that, the King of Heroes clapped Ivan on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure you're gong to be just fine next season! You're still new at this, after all!"

Any concern Keith had began to dwindle. Origami Cyclone was merely as worried as any might have been about the next season and their performance in it. There was no major problem here! Certainly, it was without a doubt that the younger hero was just a little frazzled, having been at the bottom of the ranking.

"I'm sure you won't be in last next season!"

With that, Keith gave Ivan another hearty clap on the back, sending Ivan stumbling a step forward from the force. And then he turned to attend to a sponsor that was calling him over, leaving Ivan alone by one of the banquet tables. The festivities were beginning to die down as the night dragged on and some of the officials wanted to talk more business. What Keith didn't see was Ivan sag visibly at that last comment and his departure. The younger boy turned his gaze away from the King and looked out of the large, city-span windows to gaze aimlessly out to the glow of Sternbild's lights at night.

Perhaps the King of Heroes, Sky High, was not as much a of a veteran as he thought when it came to reading emotions behind the mask...


	2. The Best Endings are Happy Beginnings

**Author's Note: **I was eating fried rice the other day and remembered writing this. Coming back to check on it, I was exceedingly touched by everyone's reviews! Thanks so much, guys! As such, I dug up the draft I had for the first half of this chapter and finished it. Hopefully this starts getting the pairing worked into the story. Ivan is a lot of fun to write. Sorry I let this sit for so long, I'll try to update weekly if I can from now on. Let me know what you guys think!

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><p>"<em>Well begun is half done.<em>" - Aristotle, Proverb

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><p>Ivan spend the rest of the night after the banquet wrapped up in a comforter on his sofa eating Milano cookies and watching reruns and recordings of HeroTV from the past year. A cookie half in his mouth, he fast forwarded through the majority of the show, playing it every now and then whenever he managed to sneak on screen. Ivan stared at the screen with an expression that looked like someone had just come over to his home and kicked his new puppy. (Not that he had a dog.) He stopped the footage and let his head fall backwards onto the sofa's backing.<p>

The young hero closed his eyes. Opening his mouth, the rest of the cookie fell in and he chewed it with great deliberation. There had to be something he could do to fix the fact that he was such a shoddy hero. Was there something more he could do? Some better fashion that he could get himself on screen? He sat back up. No, he was probably just doomed to be the lowest ranking this next season too...

Glancing to the remote in his hand, he pushed play once more. This time, he fast forwarded only for a moment... because a moment was all it took for the King of Heroes to appear on film. He froze the recording, admiring how valiantly Sky High was as he and Rock Bison worked together. Then he hit the play button again, letting the video run its course.

He remembered this episode. There had been an bombing on a high profile condo-complex. The forty story building had been struck simultaneously by a number of micro-bombs. The result was that the building's supports had begun to buckle and it had caught fire also due to the cluster of bombs around one of the gas mains.

He relived the day that Sky High and the others had rescued the citizens and put out the fires. They had also managed to find the bomber. Who, in the fashion normal to those with pyromania, had stationed himself nearby to watch his work be done. Where had he been that day? He remembered sneaking into some sort of camera angle that episode. What had it been?

Oh. That was right.

Ivan froze the footage just as the announcer began to yell: "Look at the King of Heroes now! 200 points for double civilian rescue!"

While Sky High had been catching a pair of children who had jumped from one of the top stories, Ivan had been able to sneak into the background. It was actually a good shot. If one hadn't known any better, they might have guessed what Ivan was leaping to save another civilian or something. But everyone knew Origami Cyclone was just on the show to photo bomb the _real_ hero's grand deeds.

Ivan sighed and hung his head, turning off his TV and getting to his feet. Wrapping his blanket around himself, he went about the rounds turning off the lights in his house before finally slipping into his kitchen.

There, he opened the fridge and pulled out a whole head of iceberg lettuce.

For all the world acting like he was about to go to bed with a whole thing of leafy greens, he closed the refrigerator door. Tearing the plastic off of the lettuce, he cracked it in half and pulled out one of the moist leaves from the center. Heading to his bedroom and chewing on lettuce, he kicked off his house shoes at his bedroom door.

Ivan went first to the foot of his bed. There, in a twenty gallon aquarium, two small tortoises looked up at him with wet, black eyes. He smiled at them, squatting down and patting them each in turn.

"Hi, Horace. Hi, Ridley."

They stared back at him blankly, as tortoises were prone to. Horace lifted one leg slowly and took a step forward. Then he looked back at Ivan.

Ivan smiled and put the lettuce in the large food dish. "Bet you guys are hungry."

As the tortoises began to munch slowly and surely on the leafy wet food, Ivan watched them, his arms wrapped around his knees.

Maybe Sky High was right. Maybe he wouldn't go as poorly this season. But then Sky High was also... or maybe... should he call him Keith? It wasn't as if... as if Keith called him by his real name. Even out of suit, he didn't. The teenager frowned, burying his face in his arms.

He could feel it happening. That tightness in his chest. Why did it only happen when he thought about Keith calling him Origami instead of his real name? Thought, to be truthful, he didn't care when Kotetsu called him "Origami-_kun_" or when Nathan called him "handsome." They all had names for each other. Keith was just prone to calling everyone by their hero aliases and Ivan knew that.

But it still bothered him and that strange tightness wouldn't stop happening.

Looking up, he studied Horace and Ridley. "You guys have it easy."

Standing, he threw his comforter out over his bed and straightened it a bit before flopping down. He might as well get some sleep. With that, he turned off his bedside lamp and curled up in a mass of blankets and pillows.

Only tomorrow would tell the outlook of this season for his career.

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><p>The day had started off more or less the same as every other day. Ivan had woken and gotten ready for any adventure the day might provide by showering, eating a quick breakfast and ensuring his tortoises would be okay for the day. Her pulled on his jacket and locked up his apartment, walking the four or five blocks from his complex to the monorail where he could catch a line to downtown.<p>

Arriving, then he had made his way to the headquarters of his main sponsor, Helperides Finance, passing by the large guardian lion statue that was the symbol of the company. He paused to look at it. What had Dragon Kid once told him? They were known as _Shi_ in China? He shrugged, giving the lion a warm pat and heading inside and up the elevator to the upper suites.

The group of people waiting there for him greeted him warmly, but encouraged him to make more of a scene so that he might catch more screen time. There were eight or so people, one each from the various branches and companies that sponsored his actions on HeroTV. Granted, a number of them were related companies, it still was the highest number of sponsors out of any of the heroes. It hurt a little bit inside, knowing that he wasn't popular enough to warrant a juicier contract.

The boy, his blond hair shading his eyes, sunk into his jacket, sinking into his chair in front of the sponsors that made his career possible. It wasn't as if he resented them. He in fact appreciated them. He did. He truly, truly did. It was only that their words sometimes hurt more than the ratings could, because they always encouraged him to do this or do that or try such thing to cameo. Their advice was never a way to rescue someone or prevent a crime.

It was as if they knew, as Ivan knew, that the real rescuing would always be performed by the real heroes.

A throat cleared roughly and Ivan looked up from his thoughts.

The president of .ANIME grinned and nodded, this habit he had of doing when he agreed wholeheartedly with none other than himself before he spoke. "You see, Origami, since your specialty is cameos, perhaps it will be best if we focus on getting you on screen at guaranteed moments."

Ivan winced. Even his sponsors admitted that he was a shoddy hero, if veiled. Ivan frowned a bit. Maybe he should start thinking of his NEXT power as photo bombing.

Another sponsor, this one representing the NAM-Chara Oendan, spoke up. "Maybe we can start a tradition of Origami photo bombing the opening segment!"

The group laughed and it pained Ivan, but he opened his mouth and spoke softly. "I'll try harder."

_But how was that possible_, a little inner voice mocked him, _when he was already trying his hardest?_

"Maybe we can think of a catchphrase for Origami, like Blue Rose's!"

This elicited another series of good natured laughing and Ivan wished for all the world that him disappearing into the chair wouldn't caught their attention. Because, if it wouldn't have, he would have done so in a heartbeat. He couldn't imagine himself on screen, dancing around like some _kabuki_ actor in a ninja themed version of Blue Rose's entrance...

Wait. That's it! There was one hero that always got guaranteed screen time. She was rather popular and the cameras always caught her from a multitude of angles. He sat up slightly. They had just said to try eeking in during guaranteed shots...

He spoke up once more, his soft voice surprising them, because he so very rarely offered suggestions of his own. "What about appearing during Blue Rose's introduction?"

There was a pause, as the sponsors digested not only the good idea but the fact that it had come from their hero. They all nodded, some smiling and everyone agreeing that this was a good plan. As the Helperides president opened his mouth to confirm this course of action, though, Ivan's wrist glowed blue and they all stood and suddenly looked eager for him to hurry out to make as many appearances as possible.

Ivan himself stood up quickly. As shoddy a hero as he was, he always felt the need to answer the PDA's call. It was something inside him. Kotetsu had once called it the drive to protect people, using a rather flowery speech to elaborate upon it, but Ivan wasn't sure how true that was. It seemed right, though.

"Go, Origami," the president said, "we will be watching!"

It was supposed to be encouraging, but it never sounded that way. Ivan nodded and thanked them before hurrying out to head down to the tech department and get suited up. It was fairly normal. Most heroes had a number of suits, at least one at their sponsor's location and another at the Justice Tower. He knew for a fact from talking with him that Kotetsu even kept one at his apartment.

He rushed to the elevator and answered the PDA, a hologram of Agnes appearing. "Bonjour, heroes." Another image accompanied her now. A large statue in the basic shape of a human. "A statue is passing through the industrial sector downtown. It has yet to cause terrible damage, but evacuations are necessary. Be ready and on scene in ten minutes for the start of the show. Good luck, heroes!"

Ivan nodded and the PDA shut off as he dropped his arm to his side. The elevator slid open at the tech department and he rushed to get ready. Ten minutes was a good window, but if his mission today was to cameo during Blue Rose's segment, he ought to be prepared for her to come on screen at any time.

He got suited up as quickly as possible and stepped out onto the balcony of the tech floor. He leaped into the air, reaching out his hand and grasping the side of the building. In proper ninja form, he began to leap from wall face to wall face, slowly working his way through the streets. The trick to not falling was not looking down and to move as fast as possible. At least his ninja abilities, though not a NEXT power, were useful for getting around quickly. At least that fact still stood.

As he made his way through the city, he began to panic. Agnes's voice sounded in his ear.

"Bonjour, heroes! We are on air. Good luck."

He checked the map on his HUD inside his mask. Blue Rose was still a few streets away!

Ivan stepped on it, the distance of his jumps increasing. With one tremendous jump, he dropped to a bridge roadway. There, the new hero, Barnaby, stood talking... or well, arguing with Wild Tiger. But that didn't concern Ivan at the now.

"I'm not done talking to you-" Tiger began, but as Ivan rushed past, the _kunai_ on his pack smacked Tiger in the face as he moved by, wheeling the older man about.

"_Huh?!_"

Ivan winced from the edge of the overpass and looked over his shoulder, sparing a rushed, "excuse me!" to the older hero before jumping from the bridge to the ground below.

Blue Rose's trailer was there and the bright blue and yellow light show that accompanied her entrance began. Strains her single began to play as snow fell. Ivan dropped to the stage right as it began to open and posed, his back to the crowd as he looked over his shoulder. He had once been told he looked cool, so he froze to photo bomb.

In the split second between the stage falling fully open and his appearance, Blue Rose looked back at him over her own shoulder. She looked at first shocked, but then she shrugged and gave him a slight nod. But as the camera focused on her she turned away and began her entrance.

"My ice is a little cold... but your crime has been put completely on hold!"

The HeroTV announcer yelled loudly and with much fervor, "there she is! It's not just her body that's naughty!"

Ivan grinned inside his helmet, but not because he agreed. He brought his hands up into fists and pumped them slightly. Aloud, because he had accomplished the task his sponsors had even said was a good plan, he exclaimed, "all right! I made it into the background" He smiled to himself. "With seconds to spare, no less!"

The stage's lights died down, and Ivan took that as cue that the cameras were no longer focusing on Blue Rose. Sure enough, the announcer sighted Barnaby and confirmed Ivan's thoughts. Blue Rose walked over Ivan and tapped him on the shoulder. She smiled at him, albeit a bit wryly.

"Just don't make a habit of it, _ne?_"

Ivan nodded. It wouldn't be right to steal her fame _all_ the time, but at least she wasn't upset that he had photo bombed her showing today.

Shortly after, Blue Rose and Ivan both looked up and began to move out towards where statue was. But in the time it took them to get near to where the statue was, the behemoth froze in place. Thankfully so, too, now that he saw where Barnaby and Tiger were!

Thinks began to calm down, and Agnes announced that the HeroTV cameras were going off air until such time that the statue, if ever, began to move once more. For lack of crime or a statue to deter, Ivan looked to where Dragon Kid was helping Sternbild citizens evacuate. He leaped over a car and went to help her, directing people from the area as police began to show up and caution line the area.

Within twenty minutes, the area was under police control and people had calmed down. A shadow passed over him as Ivan was making a final check for civilians. The boy glanced up to see Sky High doing the same, only from a higher vantage. The other hero spotted him as well and gave a salute to Ivan. The action made Ivan smile and, since he was watching the clouds instead of, well, the road he was leaping on, he misjudged his "step" and landed on the windshield of a car.

The glass, deciding that it most certainly did not like a fully suited hero upon it, showed its discontent by shattering and spraying bits of glass everywhere. Ivan was unharmed, of course, but he looked down to where he had one foot on the dashboard and the other on an air vent and cringed. W-well... he stepped away slowly at first... and then began to hurry away quickly.

Who's to say that the civilian that left that car behind would know what happened anyway, right? Right.

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><p>The heroes, or, well, most of them, sat now in the commons of Justice Tower, watching the screens and news updates on the statue downtown. It was what Keith liked to call "standby mode", where they knew something, or thought something, might happen and it would be easiest for the heroes to remain at Justice HQ for a possible show or follow up show.<p>

On the TV, helicopters hummed around the statue, frozen in place as it was. "An hour has passed since the stone statue stopped its advance. And it still doesn't look like it's going to be moving." Sure enough, Ivan noted, the statue was still in the same position it had been when it was going to flatten Tiger and the new hero, both of whom were absent from Justice Tower.

As the scene began to cover police activity to maintain the sector of Sternbild and recap the actions of the heroes, Ivan felt a hand clap down on his shoulder. He turned and immediately felt his throat lodge with a lump of shyness.

Keith was smiling at him in that brilliant grin he had. "Good showing today, Origami!"

There it was again. That tightness in his chest. Why could he say "Ivan" instead?

Antonio chuckled. The man was sitting across from him in the half-circle sofa. "We can start calling it the Blue Origami show!"

No one laughed, except Antonio.

Karina winced and shook her head, burying her face in a palm. "Bad... joke..."

The man's laughter died down awkwardly, but Keith, where he stood behind Ivan, merely broke into an even wider smile. Air-headed as he was, he hadn't even caught the joking tone in Antonio's words.

"Ohhhh! Origami, Blue Rose! Are you two planning a duet, a couple's song?"

Now it was Antonio's turn to bury his face in his own palm and Karina's turn to sigh and shake her head. Nathan and Pao-Lin smiled wryly.

"No, Keith," Karina explained, "we're not."

Ivan flushed at the idea. Karina was nice. Everyone was nice here. But the implication of a duet wasn't even something he thought about when it came to Blue Rose. After all, she was what most people described as "smoking hot," of which the phrase's irony was never lost on Ivan due to Karina's obvious preference for ice, and Ivan didn't think she'd even think twice about him as a duet partner much less the fact that duets were often performed by couples.

And dating Karina was certainly not something Ivan thought about when he did think about going out with another person.

Unfortunately, the flush didn't go unnoticed.

Keith, his hand still on Ivan's shoulder, blinked and brought his face close to Ivan's. "Say, Origami, are you okay? You're red. Are you okay?"

Now panic rose in Ivan's chest to join the feeling of sadness that Keith didn't address him by his real name. The panic was doubled because now everyone was staring and Ivan was floundering for words to explain or lie or sink into the sofa and become just another cushion on the couch.

But the moment was interrupted mercifully as an alarm blared in the tower and the screens showed the statue now moving once more.

"Heroes," Agnes's voice rang through the commons from the speakers. "The statue has begun to move again, everyone get ready!"

Ivan shot to his feet faster than any of the others sitting. Without thinking about it, Ivan grasped Keith's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine!" he exclaimed in a rushed tone, "see you out there!"

With that, he fled, his grasp on Keith's hand dropping and his feet hurrying him out of the commons to the lockers and dressing rooms where he could suit up. He left before he caught the look on Keith's face. Before he caught the look on anyone's face and he hurried to get into the confines of his mask. After all, he would be safe behind that mask. Safe from the questioning blue eyes of the first person he had thought of when Keith had suggested couples and duets.

Ivan sighed, pulling the _kabuki_ styled helmet on.

Was this why they were called crushes? Because they slowly crushed you with the weight they built up upon your shoulders? The guilt, the heartache, the grief that weighed you down like a load of a fool's gold treasure chest? And perhaps there were diamonds inside that chest, a precious gem you could never have, that someone else would eventually have as their own to shine and polish?

The young boy felt another hand on his back, this one gentle and soothing. He looked up, his face now clad in the helmet.

Nathan, or Fire Emblem when suited, stood beside him. "Don't worry, handsome."

The words were ambiguous enough that Ivan wondered if Nathan knew more than he let on... and if he did, the fact that the words were comforting was enough to let Ivan nod slightly.

Nathan was right... at least. He shouldn't worry about it now, not when the show as about to start again. Ivan finished suiting up quickly, locking his personal thoughts and issues away for now.

Later. There was always later.

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><p>Later, as it turned out, wasn't that far away. The show was over for the night and he most certainly had not been in the spot light. In fact, he hadn't even been able to eek on camera again at all tonight. True to form, Wild Tiger and Sky High and the others had saved the night. Apparently the culprit at hand had been an emerging NEXT that Tiger had convinced to save the day and keep the New Morghen tower dome from falling and potentially harming hundreds, if not thousands. The kid had even moved the lion mascot statue Ivan had passed earlier that day. It was his NEXT power, it seemed.<p>

Still, he did get some screen time during the after story segments when they covered him aiding in taking the _Shi_-lion statue back to Helperides. When that was all said and done, Ivan unsuited and made his way home.

The apartment was as he had left it, though Ridley had managed to crawl out of the lower end of the aquarium and was chewing contently on the leaf of a fern that Ivan kept. With a fond smile, Ivan picked the tortoise and plucked the leaf from its mouth gently, then deposited the reptile back in its home with a fresh pile of greenery to boot.

Ivan paused and looked about. He considered just going to bed and calling it a night. Having Keith nearly expose the locked away emotions had been stressful. He walked back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was ample food in there and, though none of it looked overly appeasing tonight, he grabbed a premade set of sushi and popped the plastic lid open.

He had just starting eating a piece whole when his cell phone rang.

The reached into his pocket and looked at the caller information. A red blaze of flame, similar in style to the Japanese ink brush drawings that covered Ivan's walls, as the contact picture told him it was Nathan. Blinking, because the other heroes almost never rang him, he answered the call around a mouthful of rice and tuna.

"Mmph, sorry. Hello?"

Nathan voice sounded pleased on the other end. "Hello, handsome, how's the evening going?"

"Alright, I suppose."

The other man laughed. "You're always so unsure of yourself! Hey listen, dear, why don't we get together for a date."

Ivan nearly dropped his phone and he _did_ drop the sushi tray he was holding, which fell promptly to the kitchen counter. _Sashimi_ fell a part in a sad display of good sushi lost tragedy.

"_W-WHAT?_"

Nathan belted out a laugh on the other end. "Don't worry, handsome, I don't mean that kind of date. You sound like you need someone to talk to, though. So lunch, you and me, the day after tomorrow at the Nippon Steakhouse on 5th? Right? Sounds good? Okay, I'll see you there! Bye!"

Ivan flustered and fumbled at Nathan continued talking and didn't even manage to get a full word out before he heard a finalizing click on the other end of the line. The boy pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, the little flame on the screen dancing back and forth as its animation was set to do.

What... What had just happened?

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><p><strong>End Note: <strong>Well, hopefully that intrigues you all! Sorry I didn't cover the big action scene at the skating rink, but that was more of Kotetsu's and Barnaby's moment and wouldn't have really suit to narrate. I'll probably diverge later from actual events a bit to give Ivan and Keith some more wiggle room, but for now, it serves purposes that Ivan didn't even show at all during that scene!


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